"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Thursday 5 July 2012

Hello from Foothill's Farm :)

Hello from Foothill's Farm near Swellendam.  And thanks to all those who have written to me to find out how the move went and if all is OK.  It is :)


Actually, I'm at the moment I'm at a free wi-fi cafe in Swellendam - so this will be a posting without pictures - that'll have to wait until I have a proper internet connection on the farm.


The past two weeks has been exhausting - what with finalizing the packing, scrubbing each nook and cranny (every wall tile, all the floor tiles, every cupboard - inside and out - the walls behind the fridge, washing machine and dishwasher, etc.) of the the house clean for the new owner, leaping tiredly into the car and then following the moving truck to our rented storage in the town near to the farm, off-loading there and then finally making our way to the farm at 9.45 p.m. that evening.  Understandably, RMan and I just collapsed into bed that night.  I reckon the stress of the past weeks / months is going to take a little while to work it's way out of our systems - so sleep is the main priority for both of us at the moment.  Mother Nature knows best - and that includes our bodies too :)


RMan had an important meeting with the local "water committee" on Saturday morning, so I started what is going to be a l-o-n-g period of unpacking what I could, sorting and trying to make just a small amount of floor space.  Thankfully, I had numbered the boxes, and had a list of the contents, so all the completely unnecessary boxes will remain in storage until the building of our garage is completed.  WGuy, MKid and their three dogs are still on their plot - connecting up their water, installing a couple of solar panels in order that they have some lighting at night, and also a way of charging their phones and 'puters.  They have popped round everyday to make use of our bathroom facilities, join us for their meals and generally have a bit of "people" contact.  Bless, WGuy - he's sorted out the majority of my 'puter set up, but I have to wait for my service provider to obtain a dongle with an external aerial outlet - I need a much better connection and without the new dongle that is just not possible.


MKid and WGuy and the three dogs have to return to Joey's tomorrow and will only probably return in either September for another preparatory visit or in December, when they're all (DD, WGuy and MKid and three dogs) are hoping to make the move permanent :)


So - until the garage is complete, and we can install the new solar panels on it's roof and the 6 X 2 volt batteries we still have to purchase, life is going to be a bit of a camping trip still, with our power supply very limited to 4 X damaged deep cycle batteries powered by solar panels being inadequately charged in mainly cloudy conditions.  Never mind - it'll be worth it in the not too distant future.


As soon as I have the new dongle and aerial, I'll be back to regular blogging and commenting / reading everyone else's blogs.  Until then, please bear with me... :) 

12 comments:

  1. woohoo! yer there! this is awesome news as i have been thinking of you and waiting for an update. moving a household has got to be one of the hardest things known to man...not only the living out of boxes and tripping over boxes for months and not knowing where anything is and being in a strange new home...it all is physically AND mentally exhausting. you sound like this move is pretty organized but still...lots of hard work!

    but rewarding work for sure! i am sending warm and happy thoughts that you get settled soon, and will get your new dongle and aerial soon! thanks for checking in and updating us!

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. kymber - I'm heady with giddiness at the speed of this wi-fi connection. Or is the de-caf coffee??? LOL

      Thank you, my friend, for your warm wishes and positive thoughts. Very appreciated :)

      Btw, I've missed all my blogging friends too... And need to get updated on what is happening on all of your blogs :)

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  2. Glad to hear you and RMan are hanging in there. It's stressful but so exciting, I'm sure to finally have that chapter closed. Take care Dani!

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    1. tami - Bless you. Yeah, the stress is bearable knowing that the end goal is in sight... :)

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  3. I just want to wish you luck and strength as you enter this new phase of life.

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    1. Jane of Virginia - Welcome - and thank you for taking time to comment :) I have long been a follower of your blog :)

      Thank you for your wishes - luck and strength - and patience are all bearable keeping what lies ahead firmly in view. And what lies ahead is oh, so worth it :)

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  4. I'm leaving the wi-fi cafe now, so all other comments will be answered as soon as I have a reliable connection. To all those who do: "Thank you for leaving a comment - I really appreciate it :)"

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  5. Cheers for getting on the farm. It's tough without internet, but I'm sure you'll be so busy setting up home, you won't have time for it anyway. Best of luck!

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  6. It was so nice to hear from you. I'm really glad to hear the move went well and also glad to hear you will be resting for a bit. Moving is exhausting and even if you give yourself a break, it will all end up done eventually. Hooray for Dongles! Can't wait till you get yours!!!

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  7. As soon as you mentioned trying to make a small space on the floor I had a flashback to my last move. Must go have a little lie-down now.

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  8. Rest well. You've been a busy gal. Nice that you poked your head up to say hello. Best wishes in your new farm life.

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  9. Wishing you guys all the best on your new farm life, love from us all at African Bliss.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.